Adventures in Beekeeping - Journey To Liquid Gold - Pics

[lorihadams]

Oh wow! I'm glad mine are marked cause I would really have a hard time finding them if they weren't. Especially my stronger hive cause there are soooooo many bees.

That picture is cool!

 

[valmom]

The guy I bought my nuc from marked the queen so I could find her easier. Although, now that I have found her, it isn't that difficult to pick out the hugest bee on the frame.

I added my second deep super to the bottom one- they are filling up the bottom deep already! Soon for a honey super on top.

Question- do you guys have a hole drilled in your hive boxes on the side- like just under the handle grips, about the size of a quarter? Mine didn't come that way, and all the hives the bee guy have have holes in the sides as well as the bottom entrance. Should I drill holes?

 

[Lesa]

I would definitely drill the hole... We lost our bees due to ventilation the first year. They were alive in February and moldy by spring. That is one thing bees and chickens have in common. The cold is not their enemy, moisture is. Good luck!

 

[keljonma]

We don't have in the bottom hive body. The upper hive body has a hole the size of a wine cork. There are other ways to ventilate the hives.

Screened bottom board
Screen inner cover
Placing bottle caps on the corners on the top super
Tilting the telescoping cover to allow for air
Leaving a bit of space in the back between each super

 

[valmom]

Oh, good to know! It may be too late to drill a hole in the top deep super- I doubt the bees would find that amusing Raising it on bottle caps is a great idea, though. And the screen top cover and ventilating the cap a bit. Usually we have to worry more about cold and wet than hot.

 

[reinbeau]

We don't have holes, we vent by raising the telescoping cover - but we're not as hot s you guys are. The only issue with a hole is it's another opening for them to defend, make sure they're strong. They'll also use it as an upper entrance, something some up here to provide, but not because of heat - because snow may block the lower entrance!

 

[valmom]

I think the bee guy plugs his holes up in the winter so it stays warmer, and tar papers the hives for the winter. I am sort of planning a hay bale "room" around the hive with a plexiglass roof over it to shed snow to the outside of the hay bales keeping the eaves open for ventilation. My SO claims I am going to have spoiled bees

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

we checked the hive today - and it was the first time we checked it on our own without a seasoned beek with us.

I went out prepared to set up the top deep hive body, and didn't need it.

It's been 3 weeks since we last checked the hive, and they've only filled 3 frames - that's 1 a week.

They have started to draw out the comb on the fourth and fifth frames.

The first three frames have LOTS of larvae - at different stages. Some new, some almost ready to become bees - and we saw one bee trying to break out of his capped off cell - if that makes sense - a new bee being born???

I didn't find the queen, but obviously she's doing her job, right?

There were no signs of queen cells or supercedures.

We did get pics that I'll share later.

 

[valmom]

Cool! I am thinking I have to open up the hive and check on them this week. I just have this funky fear that if I take the top super off and the queen is in it and I put it on the ground, the queen is liable to end up on the ground and I'll lose her! I'm thinking I'll put out newspaper to set the top super on just in case- then I can pick up the paper and dump any bees back into the hive when I finish!

 

[keljonma]

The first three frames have LOTS of larvae - at different stages. Some new, some almost ready to become bees - and we saw one bee trying to break out of his capped off cell - if that makes sense - a new bee being born???

Your new bee is probably a girl